The Hokage's Healer
by Kiritsubo
Summary: In the aftermath of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Sakura is taken, only to return to Konoha eight years later as Ayame Minamoto with no memory of her past and enlisted to work as a personal physician for the newly-engaged Seventh Hokage.


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Loosely based on_The __Moon Embracing The Sun._

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><p><em>For those who went down with the ship: this love story is for you.<em>

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><p>.<p>

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><p>There was an intruder in Sakura's bedroom.<p>

He had slipped in quietly, lingering in the shadows and not allowing the faintest trace of light hit his face. Beneath his mask, a pair of steel-grey eyes loomed out in the dark and focused on her sleeping form. The visitor was all but unexpected and entirely random for it was none other than the head of the Hyugga family

As Hiashi Hyuga stood over Sakura's bed, he remembered a conversation he had had with the clan elder.

"Naruto is no ordinary boy." Elder Hanzei had once conceded. "His martial prowess aside, he is powerfully charismatic and is talented in drawing people to his cause. What he lacks in, he gains in finding and using his friends to fill those voids. _That_ is the true source of his strength and that is how he will become Hokage one day."

"Hokage." Hiashi scoffed. "He's still a child. It will be years before another leader is chosen and as far as I can tell, the Fifth is not expected to retire anytime soon."

"But now that he is older, now that we have seen what he can do, we can also predict what he will become." Hanzei lifted his aged head and locked on his whitened eyes with that of his descendant's. "After the war is over, Konoha will need to be rebuilt and a new order will arise from this. We must ensure that our clan is an integral part of that and this time, we will _not_ be eclipsed by the other families."

"I don't understand." Hiashi recalled saying. "What are you implying?"

"You have no sons." Hanzei made his displeasure known. "Your daughters are not what I wish to rest our clan's legacy on. Still, they can be useful."

Hiashi remained silent, knowing the harsh words were true enough.

"Your older girl, Hinata, she is Naruto's age is she not?" Hanzei had asked.

"She graduated with him in the same class at the academy."

"I was told she is very fond of Naruto."

"An affection which I have discouraged her from many times." Hiashi countered, seeing what Hanzei was getting at. "He's barely spoken to her. Besides, everyone knows he pines after the Haruno girl."

Hanzei's gaze hardened. "Hinata may not be what was wanted but she can still rise high, as the wife of a Hokage and mother to our village's future leaders. This girl you speak of is an obstacle and surely an easy one to get rid of."

"I would prefer a better husband and future for my daughter." Hiashi said coldly.

"You still think poorly of Naruto despite his recent accomplishments?" Hanzei smirked. "You are most difficult to please."

"Hinata is ill-suited to the role you are envisioning for her. The Hokage's wife is supposed to be a model example for all female ninja. Hinata is too meek and mild, how could she possibly compare to the likes of Lady Mito or Kushina?"

"This is her only chance at ever becoming the heiress she was supposed to be." Hanzei snapped.

"We would not be discussing this had you agreed to my original request." Hiashi's temper finally flared at that. "Neji was more than capable of succeeding me—"

"He was neither _born_ nor _meant_ to be." Hanzei emphatically stated. "A member of the branch house can never be the clan head. The family would never accept that. Hanabi, at the very least, is your legitimate daughter and although I have serious reservations about her abilities, we can still marry her to one of our own to keep the bloodline pure. Perhaps a worthy heir will be born in the next generation."

"I will not offer Hinata to Naruto." Hiashi refused. "It was my hope to have her wed Neji so as to reunite the factions within our clan. Now with him gone…"

"Are you going to forfeit this opportunity to secure our clan's survival?" Hanzei angrily asked. "We are a dying breed! There are few of us left, we will either be extinct or forgotten like the Senju and Uchiha if we do not do something to place ourselves in the forefront of Konoha's society. If we do not do this now, we will lose our chance."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that, particularly when we have no assurances about Naruto's future and the fact that the girl he wants is not my daughter?"

"There can be only one sun and one moon in the sky." Hanzei answered. "Hinata's acension must be secured and to do that, we must eliminate the Haruno girl."

Hiashi blanched. "...she is innocent."

"She is an obstacle, nothing more."

"Sakura is but a child!"

"With Sasuke out of Naruto's reach, that girl is the last remnant of his first friendships. She is valuable to him and she is cunning….her intelligence enables her to advance Naruto beyond what he would be capable by himself." Hanzei reasoned. "She is formidable, dangerous even. As long as she is near him, she will make it harder for us to bend Naruto to our interests...not without the help of a mediator and who better than our Hinata?"

Hiashi remembered struggling to picture Hanzei's target, a slight fifteen year old with unusually coloured hair and green eyes. An insignificant creature, really, but Hanzei had a point. She was always at Naruto's side and was reasonably proficient in supporting him on the battlefield. She had even brought him back to life on several occasions.

"If you wish to be the victor, you must find your opponent's lynchpin and destroy it. That girl is no different."

"But you are speaking of murdering a girl who committed no crime to our clan."

"I speak for our family's advancement and legacy. You are the head! Those girls of yours are all that will be left of you when you are gone. You could be the father-in-law to the Hokage, the grandfather of many descendants who will continue to govern Konoha for years to come. Do not disappoint me with your weakness by failing in your duty to ensure our clan's placement in this world."

It had taken weeks, months, and finally the conclusion of the world war until Hiashi agreed that Hanzei was right and a course of action had to be taken. But on one condition. He would do it himself and to that, the elder agreed, only too pleased that the Hyuga head of the family had come to his senses.

Now, as Hiashi finally faced the other moon that Hanzei had so ardently want to remove, he reflected back to piecemeal observations he had gathered over time. A continuous stream of images flowed through his mind: a girl weeping and crying out Naruto's name as she hunched over his mangled body. An embrace in front of a ruined Konoha after Pain's defeat. A laugh shared between them in the midst of a training ground. What was she to him? Friend. Ally. Defender. Lover?

Hiashi had only needed to take one look at Naruto for the answer. The famed Byakugan may have been an omnipotent eye but it required a kind of skill to discern the feelings of others. What had he seen on Naruto's face? A boyhood crush? A love that was never voiced and bore no label? It strayed beyond platonics but had never crossed the point of no return.

_Do you know? _Hiashi asked as he gazed after Sakura. _Did he get a chance to tell you? _

The girl however remained oblivious to his attention, still fast asleep, wrapped in some pleasant dream perhaps. Good. This would make the killing blow easier and painless for her. He readied himself, chakra flowing through his body in an imperceptible but targeted strike. With the lightest touch, his fingertips met the seal embedded into Sakura's skin. A blue glow emitted from the contact and a moment later, the diamond glittered as spiralling vines of energy spread across the girl's forehead to reach each of her temples.

Hiashi let go.

The light faded as did the markings but the girl was no longer sleeping. Her breathing had come to a stop and the blood flow drained away from her face, leaving a pale mask in its wake. His task completed, he stepped back to make his departure but not without regret. Sighing, he whispered an apology.

_Forgive me. _

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"...she was found unresponsive this morning. The hospital and the Fifth tried everything to bring her back, I hope you know that."

Words. They were just words. It couldn't be real, this just couldn't be real. Naruto tried to tell Kakashi but his lips wouldn't open.

"Naruto? Are you listening?"

How could this happen? They had just won a major war, Sasuke had come back, and the village was rebuilding itself. She was supposed to be a part of all that. He didn't even get to tell her...he still had something to say. She had to hear it. She had to.

"Naruto?"

_Sakura..._

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Fifteen minutes was all that Sakura's grieving parents could give to Naruto before taking away her body for burial preparations. They had left her on the bed where she was found, dressed simply and looking as though she wore only asleep.

There was so much he needed, wanted to say but all he could do was stand there in silence and stare at the corpse of what had been his best friend, his protector, and...

He grit his teeth as hot tears streamed down his face. They dropped from his chin onto the bedspread, the hem of Sakura's dress, and even her cheek.

"I..." His voice broke.

He clutched at his chest, fisting the fabric of his shirt and crystal necklace into the palm of his hand into a painful knot. The unfairness was too agonising to comprehend.

Impulsively, he yanked the chain off his neck and knelt by Sakura's lifeless body. With shaking hands, he clasped the necklace around her. It seemed such a paltry token to give after all that happened between them and the adventures they had shared. Too small perhaps to signify the feelings he bore but now it was too late to tell her. The chakra crystal had protected him just as she had. It seemed only fair and fitting for her to have it. in the end It lay upon her heart, gleaming green, until he lay a few tremulous fingers upon it and said a prayer that only God and Sakura could hear.

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_Come back...come back to me. _

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When the last of the mourners walked away, when the rose petals had been scattered away, when Kakashi had to lift Naruto from his knees and walk him back home through his anguished daze, when night finally fell, Hiashi struck.

He could not afford to waste anymore time. Quietly, efficiently, he started to dig. The coffin had been buried deeply but at last, after a few pushes, it was unearthed. He precariously snapped off the hinges and lifted the top to unveil Sakura lying in repose. Her hair had been becomingly braided with a red ribbon, arranged with the first blooms of spring all around her head. Instead of her usual garb, she had been dressed in funerary white robes that enveloped her body in clouds of silk.

Hiashi scrutinised the body, even feeling the girl's neck. There was no pulse, no breath, but she was warm.

_Still alive..._Hiashi was relieved as he felt the warmth of the girl's skin.

He reached out to touch her forehead and laid a hand against the tepid skin. In a soft glow of light, chakra formed and seeped into the girl, traversing from head to toe as the viny markings of the new seal reappeared. It was not long before he caught sight of the girl's first breath. Blood rushed to her cheeks, her heart reawoke to a steady and dependable beat, but she remained held fast in sleep.

With ease, Hiashi enfolded the girl into their arms and carried her out of the grave. After ensuring the coffin had been reburied and the site smoothed over without a trace of disturbance, he took her under the cover of darkness.

He did not stop until he passed the forests by many miles, going as far eastward as he dared without being detected. His destination did not appear until the early hours of dawn: in the horizon lay a village encircling a palatial temple.

With Sakura in his arms, Hiashi headed for the holy sanctuary and at its gates, he found the head priestess and her entourage awaiting him. In the misty setting, they looked more like spectres clothed in their gauzy robes and hooded cloaks to shield them from the cold. A pair of porters held aloft crystal lanterns lit with candles for additional lighting in the grey gloom and afford more sight for their mistress.

The head priestess was not a very tall woman but carried herself with a kind of regal dignity that made her stand out from her companions. Her robes were markedly finer and embroidered with scarlet peonies in snow-white damask. Like the rest of the women, her neck and hair were covered by a wimple. Their heads were crowned with a simple veil that swayed in the air, held in place by a circlet. Where the priestess' was made of gold, the others had one fashioned from iron.

"My old friend." She solemnly greeted. "I trust the journey did not take you long."

Her eyes went to the unconscious girl. With an imperious gesture of her hand, her handmaidens bowed and quickly took Sakura from Hiashi to bring into the temple. When everyone had gone, the priestess turned back to him.

"That seal..."

"...is permanent unless I or a Hyugga member removes it." Hiashi said.

"You have taken away her memories." The priestess studied the clan head with caution. "I admit, Hiashi, when I received your message last month I was troubled by it. I do not understand why you must go to such great lengths for this girl."

"I cannot say anymore without you coming into potential harm, Asagao." Hiashi laconically replied. "Please do not renege on our agreement...you will look after her, will you not?"

"Our temple does not turn away the sick or needy." Asagao reminded him. "You wrote that this girl will need our care for a long time. We are prepared to do so. It is the least I can do for you, considering that you did save this sanctuary once." Her eyes darkened in concern. "But can you at least explain to me why you chose that particular seal?"

"So that she may live." Hiashi answered. "I did not take away her natural martial abilities or her chakra reserves. She was, and still is, a very skilled healer. I hope you can mentor and instruct her in your temple's ways. I believe she can be of much use to you and to your village."

"But not to Konoha."

"She can never return to that place and be who she once was. If she does, she will be targeted and I fear she will be in danger."

"Is this the kinder fate then? Exile?" Asagao gazed at him with profound disapproval.

"I had no other choice." Hiashi replied a little more sharply than he intended.

"And if she asks questions, what am I to tell her? This girl, who does not even know her own name?"

"Give her a new name. Create a life story for her if you want. Anything, so long as it puts her far away from Konoha."

Asagao remained silent after these instructions, weighing the severity of Hiashi's words. "...and this, you say, is the only way to ensure her safety?"

"In this world," Hiashi's voice echoed as the sun began to rise, "that child can no longer live as Haruno Sakura but must be reborn as someone else. Remember this, Asagao. Keep her secret, keep her safe."

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When the girl awoke the first day, the servants found her screaming and incomprehensible from fright. By the time she had finally calmed down and decided to place one iota of trust into Asagao, who had been called by the frantic caretakers, she unnerved them all with her inability to recall anything.

"Who are you? What am I doing here?"

"Have no fear, my child." Asagao tried to reassure her. "We are here to protect you, you are in the safest place and the surest hands. I am the head priestess of the Hoshigakure Temple here. Our divine order is dedicated in training healers and taking care of the sick. You came to us as a novice and took on vows to renounce the world in order to become one of my apprentices. That is why you are here...Ayame."

"Ayame?" The girl looked bewildered.

"That is your name." Asagao gently told her. "Minamoto Ayame. You came here to train under me six months ago. You were out picking herbs for our stocks when you slipped and fell, hitting your head. My guards found you and brought you back. We were worried you had a concussion but I now see the damage is worse than we thought."

"It's just..." The girl put her head in her hands, only to feel the impressions of the seal across her forehead. "...what is this?"

The head priestess took her hand and enfolded it into her own warm one. "My dear, you must not put yourself in a state. You must rest. Do not worry about your memories or that seal, you had it on when you came to us. It is a protection spell, powerful and permanent. It is a part of you and it will help you."

"I'm your...apprentice?" The girl haltingly asked.

"Yes." Asagao smiled. _Keep her secret, keep her safe. _"You are my student, Ayame. We have much to teach you."


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